Ammunition magazine



June 9, 1959 A. G. BILEK 2,839,751

AMMUNITION MAGAZINE Filed May 21, 1957 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ANDRfW 6//r BY Wm ATZMAZ/ June 9, 1959 A. G. BILEIK 2,889,751

AMMUNITION MAGAZINE Filed May 21, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. A/VD/Qf W 6'- B/Lf/f BY W Maw

June 9, 1959 A. G. BILEK AMMUNITION MAGAZINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 21, 1957 INVENTOR. ANDREW B/LE/l Patented June 9, 1959 AMZMUNITION MAGAZINE Andrew G. Bilek, Valparaiso, Fla., assign'or to the United- States of America as represented by the Secretary of a the Air Force Application May 21, 1957, Serial No. 660,724

3 Claims. (CI. 89-34) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the United States Government for governmental purposes without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a container for storing and feeding a linked ammunition belt into a rapid firing automatic gun. More particularly, the invention is concerned with providing an improved means for maintaining a steady flow of ammunition at a high rate to a rapid firing aircraft gun without jamming and with a minimum of drag on the feed mechanism of the gun. The invention also provides means for quickly and accurately loading the magazine with belted ammunition by including a hinged cover and an easily removable side panel.

Present day high performance aircraft unavoidably subjects its mechanical components to unusual vibrations and stresses. One of these components, the gun turret, is especially prone to damage and malfunction as a result of. this treatment. The feed mechanism especially must be kept dependable and operable throughout the duration of the aircrafts basic mission. Interruption of the flow of cartridges to the gun could result in the tactical loss of the aircraft.

One of the principal causes of failure of the feeding mechanism on high speed military aircraft guns is caused by the effects of acceleration and gravity forces on the mechanism. These forces generally result in jamming of the cartridge either within the ammunition magazine itself or when the cartridges leave the outlet port of the magazine. The present tendency toward the use of a single installation of larger caliber, faster firing guns increases the probability of jamming caused by feed mechanism breakdown.

Another problem encountered with the increased use of larger size ammunition is the consequent increase in friction and inertia forces. Therefore, provisions must be made for keeping friction forces at a minimum and reducing the inertia forces by keeping relatively few rounds of ammunition in motion at any one instant.

1 Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an ammunition magazine which allows a smooth flow of ammunition to a rapid-firing aircraft gun regardless of the velocity and attitude of the aircraft in which said gun is installed and with a minimum of drag on the gun feed mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the possibility of feeding jams by providing inclined rather than vertical internal separators or bafiles in the magazine which are placed in such a manner that only a small portion of the total ammunition is in motion at one time, thereby reducing the force required to overcome inertia. This greatly reduces the drag on the feeding mechanism of the gun and permits more rapid and dependable feeding.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ammunition magazine which is relatively simple to load and includes a hinged top and removable side panel. This results in a magazine in which each loop of the belted ammunition can be placed in its proper compartment easily and with a minimum expenditure of time and effort, yet each round is accurately in position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an ammunition magazine which has a roller incorporated in its discharge port to reduce friction during the gunfiring cycle thereby preventing any undue load from being imposed upon the ammunition feed mechanism of the gun.

The magazine has an additional feature which includes the provision of means for coupling several magazines together to increase ammunition capacity and reduce the damage of detonation from enemy gunfire.

The external configuration of the magazine may be varied to permit installation in various types of aircraft. Also, by providing interchangeable ammunition guides the same magazine may be used with different types of ammunition of the same caliber.

These and other objects, features and advantages will become more apparent after considering the following detailed description taken in connection with the annexed drawings and appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side View of the ammunition magazine with the side panel removed having typical capacity and shape;

Fig. 2 is an isometric detailed view of the discharge port through which the ammunition passes on its way to the gun;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the discharge port, including a round of ammunition emerging from the port;

Fig. 4 shows two odd-shaped ammunition magazines serially coupled in a typical installation; and

Fig. 5 is a view of one of the locking pins including a cross sectional View of the side panel and partition member into which it is inserted.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown a side elevation of one type of ammunition magazine with the side panel omitted in order to more clearly show its inner parts. Ordinarily, the ammunition magazine 13 is welded to the base plate 15 at several points to insure the rigidity of the structure. A plurality of flanged partition members 17 are equally spaced within said ammunition magazine 13 and are spotwelded to the base plate 15. Said partition members 17 are inclined at an angle of 45 or more i and are secured to the side panels of the magazine by means of the locking pins 19 (shown in detail in Fig. 5).

The placing of the partitions 17 at a large angle of inclination in the direction of feed results in the extremely rapid and smooth flow of ammunition from the magazine to the gun. For example, it has been indicated in actual tests that 310 rounds of 20 mm. ammunition can be removed from this type of magazine in less than 3 seconds. I

It will be noted that the top of each partition is rounded so that the belted ammunition 21 may slide more easily in its journey toward the breech of the automatic gun. The rear end panel 23 of the magazine is equipped with an aperture 25 which is used when it is desired to serially connect a plurality of magazines (see Fig. 4). Said aperture 25 is covered by the cover plate 27 to be used when magazines are not coupled together.

In Fig. 2 there is shown in detail the discharge port and the top cover of the magazine. The cover member 3 29 is attached to one side panel of the ammunition magazineby the hinge 31 and to the other side panel 33 by use of the bolts 35, which on removal release the cover 29 so that it may be lifted, thereby permitting the magazine to be easily recharged with ammunition.

A bar member 37 for retaining the pins 19 and contributing to the structural rigidity of the magazine fits over the side panel 33 and is secured and held in locked position at the outlet port by the wing nuts 39. The removal of this bar 37 releases the side panel 33 and allows it to be removed during the loading operation so that proper packing of the ammunition is assured. The plate members 41 and 42 are bolted to a heavy cross support member 43. The flanges 45 and 46 are welded to said plates 41 and 42, respectively, and serve as mounts for the ammunition chuting which is placed between the gun and the ammunition magazine or the inlet and outlet ports of two magazines when they are used serially.

The antifriction ammunition discharge port is equipped with a lower, replaceable, roller ammunition support 47 to guide the ammunition up and out of the magazine. Several replaceable guiding members are also placed at strategic positions around the discharge port. Guides 48 and 49 are attached to the cover member 29 and guides 50 and 51 are attached to the sides of the magazine in order to align the ammunition so that it will fall into the 4 away from the magazine. The magazine, with its side and top removed, is now ready for loading. The ammunition in belt form is then inserted in the form of loops into each of the inclined compartments and adjusted so that it can be moved toward the outlet with a minimum of drag and without jamming or stacking. If it is desired to increase the ammunition complement of the aircraft by adding another magazine to the first, it can be easily done by removing the cover plate 27 and attaching one end of an ammunition chute,the other end of which is attached to the outlet of another loaded magazine. The first round of ammunition of the added magazine is drawn through the chute and attached to the last round'of ammunition in the first magazine.

Although the invention has been described with refer ence to particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

chute accurately. The spacers 52 and 53 serve to fill the space between the roller assembly 47 and the ammunition chuting.

A view looking into the discharge port is shown in Fig. 3. The ammunition 21 is depicted just as it is about to leave the magazine, and pass into the chuting. The spacers 52 and 53, and the guides 48, 49, 50, and 51 are shown guiding the ammunition out of the discharge port. The flanges 45 and 46 to which the ammunition chuting is attached are also shown.

In order to obtain maximum firepower from the armament of the aircraft, it is often necessary to place the ammunition at a considerable distance from the gun. Many times obstructions are interposed between the gun and the magazine, so placed. Also, the compartment in which the magazine is placed may be of some odd shape and size. The present invention overcomes these difficulties as well as having the further advantage of making it possible to separate the total ammunition load into two or more separate magazines. This results in considerable reduction of the possibility of damage caused by detonation due to enemy gun fire which is very important from a safety standpoint. In Fig. 4, a typical multiple magazine set up is shown consisting of odd shaped magazines 61 and 63. The discharge port 67 of the magazine 61 is connected to an inlet port 69 of the magazine 63 by a length of ammunition chuting 65. As long as the proper spacings between the inclined partitions 17 and between the tops of the partitions and the cover member are maintained, the magazine may be designed to fit substantially any space available in the aircraft.

In Fig. 5 there is shown in detail one of the pin members 19 which is threaded into and retained by the bar member 37 and passes through the side plate 33 and into the shaped upper extremity of the partition 17. These pins serve to hold the partitions in position when the ammunition magazine is charged and ready for use. However, when the support bar 37, with the pins 19 attached is removed, the side plate 33 may be taken off, thereby greatly facilitating the accurate placing of the ammunition in the magazine.

The magazine may be quickly and easily charged with ammunition as evidenced by the followingdescription of the operation. First, the hinged top 29 is released by removing the bolts 35 and lifting the top up and out of the way. Then the wing nuts 39 are removed therebyreleasing the bar member 37 with its pin members .19 andallowing it to be separated from the magazine. Next the side panel 33 is removed by sliding it to the rear and 1. An ammunition magazine for storing and feeding belted ammunition to a rapid firing gun, said magazine comprising a plurality of open-ended compartments formed by a series of equally spaced inclined partitions, each of said compartments being inclined in the direction of feeding and adapted to receive a single loop of said belted ammunition, said magazine including a removable side panel and hinged cover for loading, supportingmeans for retaining said partition in position including a bar member having threaded openings, threaded tapered lockingpins adapted to be received therein, said bar member being located on the outer surface of said removable side panel, and means for locking together said bar member with its attached locking pins and said removable side panel in a single step operation.

2. An ammunition magazine for storing and feeding belted ammunition to a rapid firing gun, said magazine comprising a plurality of open-ended compartments formed by a series of inclined partitions, each of said compartments being inclined in a direction of feeding and adapted to receive a single loop of said belted ammunition, said magazine including an outlet opening in its forward end adapted to allow rapid removalof said belted ammunition during the firing of said gun, means provided for facilitating loading of said magazine including a hinged cover member and a removable side panel, said side panel being retained in position by engagement with a removable cross bar member and a plurality ofthreaded tapered locking pins, said locking pins passing through said side panel and adapted to be received by the formed upper portion of said inclined partitions, and means for securing said side panel and said cross bar in position permitting removal of said cross bar member with its attached tapered pins from the side panel and partition members and the consequent release of the side panel thereby exposing the entire side of the magazine allowing easy and accurate loading.

3. An ammunition magazine having a fixed and a removable side after storing and feeding belted ammunition to a rapid firing gun, said magazine comprising a plurality of open-ended compartments formed by a series of inclined partitions, each of said partitions having one side permanently attached to said fixed side of said magazine and a top end portion formed into a loop, a tapered pin adapted to be received by each of said loops, a cross bar member for holding said pins in properly spaced relative positions, said pins and bar member serving to align and retain said partitions and said removable side in position, means for allowing rapid removal of said belted ammunition during the firing of said gun including a discharge port in the forward end of said magazine, said discharge port being provided with a lower removable roller ammunition support for reducing friction and drag during References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Daly July 11, 1905 Davies Jan. 23, 1917 6 Larsson Mar. 8, 1938 Slate Feb. 24, 1948 Haberlin Ian. 25, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS France May 24, 1937 

